The new 31-kilometer (19.2 mi) International Linear Collider (ILC) is finally ready for construction, according to CERN and the Linear Collider Collaboration. The ILC will initially augment the LHC’s attempt to identify and characterize the Higgs boson, but in the future it could investigate new areas such as supersymmetry, dark matter and energy, and superstring theory, significantly advancing our knowledge of the universe.

Physicists at the DoE’s Berkeley Lab in California have captured the first ever high-resolution images of a molecule as it makes and breaks chemical bonds to form different molecules. As you can see above, the most shocking thing is that these molecules are virtually identical to the skeletal diagrams that chemists have been using for almost a century.

Humans aren’t the only game in town when it comes to robotics. In the past few years, researchers have been using animals to control and influence robots. From virtual reality to brain-computer interfaces, animals and robots are the best combination since graphene and molybdenite.

Consumers are always looking for more storage capacity at a lower price point, and now we’re fighting with physics to allow high density storage. Instead of piling more platters or more flash chips in a smaller space, researchers at Oregon State University have found a way to harness high-frequency sound waves to allow for higher density magnetic storage.

Erik Koepf, a doctoral candidate at the University of Delaware, is working on a solar reactor project that produces hydrogen from a chemical reaction causing sunlight to split water, but its efficiency is still unknown. In March, he’ll be traveling to Zurich, Switzerland to test the reactor at full power for the very first time. From there, we’ll be able to see if this solar reactor will serve as a stepping stone to better solar technology or if it’s a complete dud.

When you go to tap something on a touchscreen, you immediately lose sight of that area of the screen. It’s usually not a big deal, but it can be a mild annoyance during games or text selection. Touchscreens aren’t going away any time soon, so how do we solve this problem? Well, a group of researchers at the National Taiwan University have developed a solution, and they call it NailDisplay — an OLED display that is mounted to your thumbnail.

After meeting with Hawking himself, Intel’s CTO Justin Rattner is spearheading a project to improve Hawking’s computer system, allowing for an increase in words per minute typing speed. The research team is set on getting Hawking back up to his previous five words per minute. If all goes well, the system might even boost that number upwards of ten.

DARPA, the US government agency responsible for creating much of the framework of the internet in the late 60s and early 70s, is teaming up with the Semiconductor Research Corporation, to grant nearly $200 million to top universities in the United States. Not only is this intended to bring forward a new generation of processors, but the money is intended to keep the US at the forefront of semiconductor research and design.

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